Double Duty

With a new record label, Jim Eno brings more music to the people

By Sarah Thurmond

Published: July 16, 2013

Photo by Daniel Brock

It’s been 15 years since Spoon drummer Jim Eno opened his recording studio, Public Hi-Fi, in a converted garage in Austin. Originally set up as an alternative, cheaper place for his band to record, it now has headliners like Arcade Fire and Justin Timberlake making use of it. Eno himself has gone on to be a well-regarded producer, working with acts like !!!, Mates of State and Heartless Bastards. But recently Eno took on a new title, that of record label owner.

Also called Public Hi-Fi, the indie label is a “natural progression,” says Eno, who serves as curator and producer of the music, all of which will be recorded at the studio. “There are always artists that you find that you’re really passionate about, and labels are signing less and less,” he says. “If you can make it work, then you might as well try to put out some of those releases—instead of letting them just sit on a shelf.”

In April, the label issued its first release, Nuestro Camino, by the Austin B3 organ trio Dupree. Available digitally and on CD and 12-inch vinyl, the album is sold at shops like Waterloo Records and Antone’s Record Shop or at public-hifi.com. With all the work involved, Eno expects to put out new material every four months. This fall could bring songs from Sondre Lerche or Hard Proof Afrobeat.

Now that he’s on the business side of the industry, Eno says he learning about unexpected things, such as licensing songs, UPC codes and the cost of promotion while being artist-friendly. “I have more respect for labels like Merge, who were also playing in a band and trying to do this,” he says. “I got to hand it to those guys because it’s hard.”